In an attempt to return to cricket, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and England Cricket Board (ECB) are exploring the possibility of using bio-secure venues for their three-Test series in July.
This was confirmed yesterday by Chief Executive Officer of CWI Johnny Grave who, in a WhatsApp message stated, “We had our first big meeting with ECB yesterday [we are] looking at trying to get the series on in July in a bio-secure venue(s).”
This mechanism is similar to what has been touted for the T20 Blast where organisers proposed a two-phase system with the first being matches behind closed doors while the second phase suggested hosting matches with mass gatherings of up to 500 people.
Grave indicated a number of key personnel, including West Indies captain, Jason Holder, and Coach Phil Simmons as well as their English counterparts, Joe Root and Chris Silverwood respectively, and the Chief Medical Officers of both Boards were present for the meeting.
According to sources, the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford are tipped to be considered due to their on-site hotels but a number of other factors need to be sorted before the July 8 anticipated start. The series was originally set for a June 4 start.
Additionally, West Indies were scheduled to be back in the Caribbean to face New Zealand in three One Day Internationals and three T20Is from July 8 to 19. This series is likely to shift to later in the year due to the scheduling of the England series and as a result, West Indies’ two Tests and five T20Is against South Africa from July 23 to August 16 are also at risk of rescheduling, said Grave.
The Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has forced the ECB to halt all professional cricket until July 1 while a number of international airports have also been shut down because of travel restrictions, until the restrictions have been lifted.
